Iraq kidnap victims held for a year

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

It is exactly one year since the Britons, all working as civilian contractors, were kidnapped by armed militants at the Iraqi Ministry of Finance in Baghdad.

Since then, their families have faced an agonising wait to see if they will be freed unharmed.

In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, the men's relatives described their nightmare.

A man identified only as Colin, father of a hostage named Alec, said he had to "believe that the outcome's going to be positive". He said as a family, they were staying strong and hoping their son returned sooner rather than later.

One of the hostages has been named as IT consultant Peter Moore, from Lincoln, who was working for BearingPoint, an American management consultancy.

The others, who were employed by Canadian security firm GardaWorld to guard Mr Moore, have not been officially identified, but it is believed two are Welsh and two Scottish.

The kidnappers, calling themselves the Islamic Shiite Resistance in Iraq, have released two videos of the captives in the last 12 months.

On December 4, a film was broadcast on Dubai-based TV station al-Arabiya warning that one hostage would be killed unless British troops were withdrawn from Iraq. One of the men, named as Jason, was shown in the clip complaining that the kidnapped men felt they had been "forgotten".

Negotiations for the captives' release are continuing, but in the run-up to the anniversary, their anxious relatives have grown increasingly frustrated at the lack of progress. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has stressed that sensitive discussions are going on behind the scenes.